Author Archives: theamericanplutarch

My new Kindle ebook, God is Love: Reflections on the Psalms, is the product of years of reflection on the 150 Psalms of the Old Testament. The book is an ecumenical, spiritual, meditative, historical reflection on the Psalms of David. … Continue reading →

My tongue is a pen of a quick writer . . . The Psalmist takes to honorific writing to praise the king, the anointed of God. God indeed anoints. And God’s will is known throughout the world. The Apostle Paul … Continue reading →

            The idea of democracy, like the idea of capitalism, promises much, though the reality always falls short. The promise is of wide participation in government, free and open competition among diverse groups, self-determination. Democracy offers the vision of individuals … Continue reading →

Modernization is a major social scientific theory that emerged in the 1950s to explain different levels of development in the world’s societies. Although the roots of modernization theory developed in the response of nineteenth-century American and European intellectuals to industrialization, … Continue reading →

          Liberalism refers to a system of thought that focuses on the good of the whole of society as opposed to its neglect in the service of the restricted few. Liberalism began at a time of rejection of traditional feudal … Continue reading →

Laissez-Faire, a French phrase that means literally “let do” meaning “let a person alone,” was applied to economics by English and French thinkers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The phrase generally applies to the same conditions in modern as … Continue reading →

Conservatism is a system of thought that focuses upon upholding traditional values, social structure, government, and economic systems. Conservatives hold specific views about the role of government in the economy and the value of democracy. Conservatives have sometimes been suspicious … Continue reading →

            Ancient science was the intellectual pursuit to understand the origins and workings of nature and humanity. Science is a term that encompasses many methods and varied disciplines over time. Science has engaged human thought for millennia. The questions that … Continue reading →

Idols The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the works of men’s hands . . . Statues straight, statues tall, supporting those who fall, propping up those who feel down, giving peace without a sound. For “they have … Continue reading →

The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof . . . Thousands, millions—countless—creatures die every day due to fire, floods, drought, heat, cold. But why? Why does God allow His creation to die, often en masse? Why are the … Continue reading →